WATCH: Rare video of Lions' 1936 Thanksgiving Day win over Bears

WATCH: Rare video of Lions' 1936 Thanksgiving Day win over Bears

Thanksgiving Day football’s been a tradition for about a century, and the Detroit Lions playing on Thanksgiving nearly as long.

It’s often hard to appreciate just how many years have passed since then, and how deep the NFL’s history is intertwined with today’s But YouTube user ClassicSportsVids posted this rare footage of the Lions’ 13-7 Thanksgiving win over the Chicago Bears, and it’s must-watch stuff:

Check out the jam-packed bleachers and (relatively) empty sidelines, the officials in all white and the snow on the University of Detroit Stadium field.

Most of all, though, check out the way the game was played, and the unforgiving run-first style of both squads. Trickeration and disguisement, though, were part of the game, and you’ll see why professional football both had some growing up to do—and why it grew so fast when it did.

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